Althouse: Fungus of the Day.

June 24, 2024

Fungus of the Day.

I think this is Trametes versicolor, AKA turkey tail.

10 comments:

Jamie said...: Ooo, these are beautiful! No dog vomit here.; 6/24/24, 7:54 AM
Rusty said...: You guys aren't in Madison, are you.; 6/24/24, 10:52 AM
Ann Althouse said...: This is Madison.; 6/24/24, 10:59 AM
amr said...: Purple edges strongly suggest Trichaptum biforme over Trametes versicolor.
I would really want to see the underside of the caps to be confident.
https://www.mushroomexpert.com/trichaptum_biforme.html
https://www.messiah.edu/Oakes/fungi_on_wood/poroid%20fungi/species%20pages/Trichaptum%20biforme.htm; 6/24/24, 11:27 AM
Hassayamper said...: Trichaptum biforme for me. Look at those purplish tints.

May I say again, I'm delighted with the "Fungus of the Day" posts and hope they continue throughout the warm and rainy parts of the year.

But for more reliable identification, I implore you to pull one or two of them off the log and flip them over for close-up pictures of the underside. Or in the case of stipitate-pileate (stem and cap) mushrooms growing from the ground, pull one or two out, including the entire stem, and take good pictures of the stem and gills from multiple angles. Slice one in half lengthwise if you have a knife, and look for staining or exudates. Take note of any unusual scent. You can handle any mushroom safely, even death caps and destroying angels, as long as you don't eat them.

The mushroom is to the fungus as the apple is to the apple tree. The living organism is inside the wood, or in the ground amidst the tree roots in mycorrhizal species, and the fruiting bodies are just temporary reproductive structures that promptly shed their spores and then fall off and rot into the ground. Whereas we humans go to the beach and reveal all parts of our bodies but our naughty bits, a fungus always remains hidden except for transient exposure of its sex organs (i.e. mushrooms.) Harvesting mushrooms is harmless and highly sustainable.

Ann, you seem to enjoy these mushroom posts, and you are clearly a curious and intelligent person who spends a part of nearly every day in the out-of-doors. You are missing out on a most intellectually stimulating hobby, not to mention a centerpiece of gourmet cooking, by not delving deeper into mycology. You already know morels and gather them in the spring, but there are dozens of other species that fruit in the summer and fall in Wisconsin, some of them highly sought-after edible species that sell for ridiculous prices in fancy food stores.

May I suggest you and Meade attend the Northwoods Foray in September, sponsored by the Wisconsin Mycological Society, up north in the town of Cable? I have been there and it is lots of fun. We gorged ourselves on many edible varieties once the experts had pronounced them fit for consumption.

https://www.wisconsinmycologicalsociety.org/cablenorthwoodsforay.html; 6/24/24, 11:39 AM
Saint Croix said...: Interesting article about black voters in Milwaukee, and how they're abandoning Biden.; 6/24/24, 4:11 PM
Saint Croix said...: I hope Trump puts Rubio on the ticket.; 6/24/24, 4:22 PM
Saint Croix said...: The problem with J.D. Vance is that he doesn't add any votes for Trump. All his fans are already in the tent. Trump's got a rock solid base. What he needs to do is reach out to non-fans and make inroads there. Rubio does that. Tim Scott also.

Even if somebody thinks Rubio is a "Washington insider," I don't think it's possible to reduce Trump's populist support. Trump is the ultimate outsider. What he needs to do is reassure undecided voters who are worried about him.

Rubio does that. He's got foreign policy chops, he's independent, and he can help with hispanic voters. I think Rubio on the ticket adds votes for Trump. And he'd be a good president if he needed to step up.; 6/24/24, 4:33 PM
Hassayamper said...: I agree with amr, this looks like Trichaptum biforme.; 6/24/24, 5:01 PM
ALP said...: Dayum I may have to use this one for my next watercolor painting.; 6/24/24, 5:19 PM